


VA Aftermath

by BlackHunter666



Series: Away Team 16 [2]
Category: Assassin's Creed, Tour of Duty (1987)
Genre: Angst, Brotherhood, Gen, Graphic Violence, Healing, M/M, Recovery, Reunions, Vietnam War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 18:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6021021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackHunter666/pseuds/BlackHunter666
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The war is over for most of the men of Away Team 16 and they've made it home. Civilian life doesn't fit though and they end up living together once again. With no more missions to worry about, they come together and find a new way to survive against the nightmares that followed them home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	VA Aftermath

Thinking back on it, I can admit that all the stress has been worth it in the end. It had sounded so simple when I first came up with the idea to build a safe place for my guys if they needed it but it had turned out to be anything but simple. A lot of the architects and builders I'd talked to had balked at the very idea of building a house with twelve bedrooms on just one level but I did finally find a couple of very gutsy companies that were willing to take on the job. They even managed to get it completed in record time, giving me a stunning home to welcome my boys home after their service was at an end.

Slowly my boys came back to me, unwilling to take the abuse hurled by civilians and not sure what else to do with their lives. Randy had been first, giving up on his dreams of becoming a doctor since the Army refused to give him the scholarship they had promised. He still wanted that degree but right now, he simply couldn't afford it. Then came Roger, still bearing the marks of a college brawl between war protesters and a few veterans who had wanted to continue their education. After that fight, he left the campus and hit the freeway, heading straight for the paradise I had built.

Scott's arrival a few weeks later really caused a stir, no one expected him to show up on the doorstep in civilian clothes. He came with quite a story to tell, proudly handing me his dishonourable discharge papers and explaining that he'd gone toe to toe with General Elliot about a plan he'd overheard. He objected strongly to a mission that would surely cost dozens of American lives for no gain, called the General all sorts of crude things and willingly accepted the discharge. I still don't know how the hell he avoided Leavenworth but I'm not about to argue his presence. His story had everyone in fits of laughter, we never dreamed that lovable Scott would ever do something that bold.

For a while it was peaceful at the house, the four of us settling back into routines that had become familiar and comfortable on the Firebase but it didn't feel right without the rest of the team there to share in the good times. We sorted out our roles, sharing the chores and giving our all to mastering civilian life as we had mastered the Assassin lifestyle and the Army ways. It was so easy to throw aside ranks and titles, slipping back into the comfort of first names and easy laughs. It didn't matter that I was nearly twice their age, we are all equals.

Roger made the choice to enrol in the nearby catering college and tested out his skills on us every night but we didn't mind. It was nice to finally have someone in the house who knew how to cook. Randy started volunteering at a local clinic, learning from the doctors and trying to find a new way to achieve his dreams. Scott was offered a job coaching a local school football team and jumped at the chance, his goofy grin and infection happiness winning the youngsters over within minutes. I mostly took care of the house and all the bills, balancing out our shared income to ensure all the bills were paid on time and we never ran out of vital supplies or the money to pay for Roger's tuition. I also kept one ear on the news filtering through from Nam, waiting for my boys to make it through.

Marvin gave us fair warning that he was coming home, calling from his parents' farm and asking simply if I had space for him. As much as he loved his family, he didn't feel comfortable trying to handle college without the support of those who truly understood the changes in him. He moved in with us about a week later, calling his parents to let them know he'd made it and promising to come visit from time to time. Days later, he enrolled in the local college, taking courses to improve his education before he settled on any long term plans.

Months later Johnny turned up unexpectedly, limping heavily and still bitter about his loss of flight status and his early discharge. We welcomed him with open arms, giving him space to recover and offering him a hand whenever he was struggling. At first, all he wanted to do was return to the sky but with a little gentle coaxing and some subtle hints, he instead took a job at a local auto shop, translating his mechanical skills from choppers to cars with minimal fuss.

We only had a week or so to get used to having Johnny around before Danny and Alberto turned up, lost without their Brotherhood to ground them. Shaken and hurting, they had tried to make a go of life on their own but had found it too hard to deal with the lack of understanding from family, the judgement of strangers and the constant loneliness. Settling in and finding their feet in the rhythm of the house, they were soon laughing and joking around as if they had never been apart.

Danny quickly found work as a carpenter, joining the very same company that had given him a real place to call home. He loved it, often coming home sunburned and liberally covered in minor scratches and cuts but still wearing a huge grin on his face. Alberto spent days looking for a suitable job before accepting one at a local market, bagging groceries and helping the elderly take their shopping to their cars. It wasn't a great job but at least he was doing something and no one thought badly of him for what he'd survived.

Getting word that one of our brothers had broken contact with the few remaining Assassins in Vietnam and had last been seen in the middle of a mortar attack on Saigon, I made the choice to go back into hell and find him. It took me nearly three weeks but I made it back to their little slice of paradise with Francis tucked under my wing and made it perfectly clear that I wouldn't stand for anyone badmouthing the shaken medic. No one argued with that, those that knew him were just glad to see him safe at last. Honestly, I'm horrified by the damage done to Francis. We all know Nam is hell but he really suffered.

Randy stepped up to really take care of Francis, getting him off the alcohol and bringing him to the clinic to help those less fortunate. With care and patience, Francis filled out a little and started joking again but everyone could see that he had been hit hard by his experiences in Vietnam. He found comfort in talking with me, often sitting up late into the night to talk about whatever was bothering him. I don't know what it was that made him feel safe talking to me, he barely knew me compared to some of the guys living with us.

Once again finding a comfortable rhythm and making things work for us, the team continued to wait for the last three brothers to finally make it back from Vietnam. It didn't feel right to have only nine living in a house built for twelve, we tried to make it feel comfortable but without Zeke, Myron and Marcus, it would never be our Brotherhood. We just had to wait and hope that they made it out of hell alive and intact.

For a while we knew peace, getting on with life and leaning on each other whenever we stumbled. It wasn't always easy, there were so many personalities to balance but any disputes were quickly settled in the backyard. We even found the time to make friends with all our neighbours, giving them a hand whenever they asked and inviting them around to share a barbeque every few weeks.

I will never forget the day we got that telegram. An otherwise perfect day, shattered by a single sheet of yellow paper. I don't know how many times I read it before finally facing my brothers with the news. They instantly knew something was wrong, fear spreading around the room as they looked at the page I held. There was no way to soften the blow so I didn't even try. I just read what Myron had written and watched my brothers reactions.

Francis screamed and shot to his feet, I still don't know where he was trying to go but he didn't get far before Danny grabbed him and just held him close. Alberto dropped to his knees in shock, hugging himself as he stared up at me in disbelief. Marvin started crying, clinging to Randy as they tried to come to terms with the news. Roger froze up, one hand pressed to the scars on his abdomen as Scott wrapped one arm around him and hung his head.

Johnny swore up a storm, letting fly with obscenities that I'd never even heard before as he eased to his feet and started to pace the room. Taking a breath, Johnny reached out to me, eyes filled with pain and horror. Drawing him close, I held onto him even as I made my was over to Alberto and coaxed him to his feet. One by one, my brothers came to us, holding on tight and promising to do whatever was needed to make our family whole again. We were all scared, completely unprepared for the news and struggling to understand how this could have happened but we could take comfort in knowing that we would soon be reunited at long last.

It took days for everyone to settle back into our routines, the news had left us all badly shaken but we would figure it out eventually. With time and patience, we would find our feet and adjust to the new realities in front of us. But first, we needed to have our missing brothers home. Desperate for distractions, we did everything we could to prepare for the arrival of our missing brothers; airing out the last three empty rooms and making up the beds with fresh linens; finishing up the paving in the back yard and installing ramps front and back for ease of access. Roger stocked up the freezer with plenty of pork free meals, determined to make sure Myron never felt forgotten again.

Now all we could do was wait and hope for the best. Our brothers would make it home and we would be there to welcome them with open arms. Nothing would stop us from reuniting and forging a new path into an uncertain future.


End file.
